FPM Supporters Block Roads, March to Military Court to Demand Officers Release
The Free Patriotic Movement led by MP Michel Aoun on Tuesday staged a demonstration that headed from Beirut’s Mathaf district towards the nearby Military Court building to demand the release of three officers held in connection with the case of Sheikh Ahmed Abdul Wahed and his companion.
Speeches stressed that the army was attacked “while performing its duties.”
Demonstrators carried army flags and banners expressing solidarity with the military institution.
Present at the rally were MPs Nabil Nicola and Naji Gharious, FPM secretary general Elie Khoury, FPM general coordinator Pierre Raffoul, FPM official Ziad Abs, artist Michel Elefteriades and a number of mothers of army martyrs who fell in the Nahr al-Bared war with the extremist group Fatah al-Islam.
“The responsibility for what happened with Sheikh Abdul Wahed falls on those who disassociated themselves from the northern border,” FPM general coordinator Raffoul said at the rally.
“It is unacceptable to make the army pay the price for negligence every time and it is not a scapegoat,” Raffoul added.
“Those who do not want the army do not want the Lebanon of peace and stability,” he warned.
Meanwhile, MTV quoted FPM sources as saying that “there is a systematic and intense plan to press again for the release of the officers in the coming days.”
Later on Tuesday, dozens of FPM supporters blocked the Nahr el-Mot highway in both directions with burning tires and metal barriers, voicing solidarity with the army.
Security forces managed later to convince the protesters to reopen the highway after its blocking caused a severe traffic jam.
Protesters also received a phone call from FPM leader MP Michel Aoun who asked them to reopen the highway to facilitate the passage of the convoy of President Michel Suleiman who inaugurated a new section at the nearby ABC Mall in Dbaye.
Several clashes were also recorded between the protesters and the passersby who were stranded in their vehicles.
Meanwhile, state-run National News Agency said FPM supporters blocked the al-Sayyad roundabout for around 10 minutes before the army managed to reopen it.
On Monday the relatives of the officers detained in the case of Sheikh Abdul Wahed and a number of army supporters blocked the Sarba-Jounieh road to demand the release of the generals.
The military examining magistrate issued on Saturday arrest warrants against three army officers, who were released last week, in the case of the killing of Abdul Wahed and his companion at an army checkpoint in the Akkar town of al-Kweikhat in May.
Judge Riyad Abu Ghida questioned the three officers and ordered their re-arrest, the National News Agency reported. The three officers were transferred back to the military police jail.
Their release on bail last week along with eight soldiers arrested over the case angered the residents of the district of Akkar where Sheikhs Abdul Wahed and Mohammed Merheb were killed.
Five other soldiers remain in custody.
Protestors blocked roads in Akkar and official figures, including al-Mustaqbal bloc MP Khaled al-Daher, called for referring the case to the Judicial Council.
Al-Daher even threatened civil disobedience, including sit-ins near the Grand Serail and Premier Najib Miqati’s residence, should the government keep the case in the hands of the military court.
The government sought to limit the growing unrest in the North and appease them on Monday by tasking Justice Minister Shakib Qortbawi with asking General Prosecutor Said Mirza to directly supervise the investigations and report back to the cabinet.
almost 12 years
It's gonna be really comic when the army is sent over to remove the pretend army supporters from blocking the roads, what a mess spilled orange juice all over the place.
almost 12 years
Cause of death: Hizbullah gunmen opened fire at his chopper. Sorry he was murdered by the Iranian militia as a warning to the Lebanese army this is our exclusive field of operations trespassers will be shot!
FPM reaction: Shameful silence. Sorry it was worst than that much worst Aoun the coward blamed Hanna!
almost 12 years
Aounist are such a pathetic bunch.
almost 12 years
If I recall right this government released the fatah al islam detainee
almost 12 years
ya 3ami shou mabede2koun intou ya jame3a? bass 2oulouli shou mabedi3 heda l tayar? khayi moch 3am befham...
iza mabed2koun hiyi 7imeyet l jesh w2eno haydi l mo2asassi fo2 l selta l tenfiziyi w fo2 l siyesiyin kelloun ana ma3koun.
bass wen kentou lama helicopter lal jesh l lebneni binazlouwa 3anasir men HA w bel ghalat kamen?
teb ya jame3a lesh ma byetla3 men 3endkoun aya rafed 2aw aya mozahara 2aw aya 2e7tijej 3ala 2estibe7et l 2aradi l lebneniyi men l nizam l souri? lesh ma betalbo bi 7imeyet l 7doud men khilel l mo2assassi l 3askariyi? ma fi lebneniyi 3al 7doud bi lebnen meto bisabab 3askari souri? teb wenkoun?
heda bala mane7ki 3an sile7 HA w mada khtourto 3ala dawr l jesh l Lebneni!!
almost 12 years
Damn, FPM is acting exactly like hizballa... like thugs. I thought this kind of bad behavior was exclusively 100% Shia.
almost 12 years
Maronites have lots of thugs.
almost 12 years
Wow, blatant sectarianism... interesting coming from either a Salafi supporter i.e. responsible for terrorism against the army and pretty much the entire world, or a right-wing Christian lackey of the M14 "alliance" again, under the patronage of the Saudi's. These comments prove we have no hope, you guys are not even supporting our LEBANESE NATIONAL ARMY and instead support Khaled al Daher who essentially is in favor of releasing Fatah al Islam terrorists and is attacking our army. Shame.
almost 12 years
nawar is as nawar does.
btw why is there an ad to the right for HFX (oil trading) with a picture of ahmadinajad wearing an FPM scarf? or is it just me
almost 12 years
This has nothing to do with the FPM and Aounies supporting the army, spare us the hypocrisy. It is all about the FPM and Aounies hating the Sunnis so much.
Shameful and very disgraceful indeed. Alum and the FPM Christians following him keep hanging onto bitter memories of post civil war Lebanon when the Sunnis wrested power from the Christians. They need to let go and understand that that was then nd this is now. Lebanese Sunnis have metamorphosed and now understand that their previous call for "Arabism" brought nothing but disaster upon Lebanon. Now the Shi'a are repeating the same mistakes the Sunnis and Christians made but with a Persian flavor. Soon we hope they will wake up but we do not hate them.
Hate only breeds hate.
almost 12 years
ah ya Aoun 2albak shu kber w 2ade bet7eb l jeish, nafs l jeish l harabet meno,le3ebtak makshoufi grandyyyyy
almost 12 years
You're forgetting all the Israeli agents amongst Hizballah and the others of which 90% belong to a certain sect from the south.
almost 12 years
FPM=First Protect the Murderers... Then see if it brings you much needed vote. Problem with having ex-Military doing politics apart from the usual lack of intellect and education (the common denominator of today's politicians being civilian or ex-military) 9 out of 10 will have huge ego together fascist or populist tendancies. They wouldn't spare any effort or expense to get the support of the military base. This makes Aoun's mediocrity potentially so dangerous...
almost 12 years
Actually FPM = Failed Political Movement
almost 12 years
hahaha love the Mtv propaganda, FPM condemned the murder and the man was incarcerated for his crime. Should use your remote a little bit more often
almost 12 years
incarcerated for how long exactly? (for the murder of an army officer)
almost 12 years
finally , the country needed real men to stand against Future new minions: assir, daher, fatfat merehbi and all other thugs burning their sunni cities. I think the sunni population more then the others should be thankfull to FPM for trying to free them fromthe neo-nazis called Future
almost 12 years
Kisserwene ya fiti7 inta,Where is Samer s hanna murderer?
How long was he jailed for?6 months ya wateh.
Wle ma awta minnak ella Ft Sermeye ou michel aoun.
You did not complain 2 weeks ago when a lebanese army patrol was stripped of the weapons in Baalbeck and sent home with their tail in between their legs.
You and Michel aoun el wateh were not offended when the Syrian army crossed the border and kidnapped 2 soldiers.
Wate ou bitdallak wateh,ou 3am tsallo la yerga3o el syrians la2anno bet7ebbo el sirmeye 3ala ra2betkoun.
almost 12 years
Why dont you protest for the release of the lebanese soldiers in Syrian Jails????
almost 12 years
Your comment is as dumb as Aoun's arguments !
Friendly Fire ? In order for friendly fire to occur, you need a war or battle and "friendy troops" in the middle of gun fire.
There was no gun fight, there was no war, there was no battle.
There was only a helicopter with a LEBANESE FLAG which obviously Hezbollah members are not familiar with ... it's this weird looking flag with Red and White stipes and something that looks like a Tree in the middle ...
Other excuses you can come up with which could make more sense :
- He was hunting birds and the helicopter pilot was standing between the rifle and the bird
- He thought it was an alien invasion and panicked
- His body was possessed by an Israeli spirit ... wasn't him ...
- The downwind from the landing caused him to loose balance and mistakenly aim at the helicopter pilot and shoot
- The gun went off by "mistake"
WAKE UP AND STOP PLAYING WITH FIRE ... YOU'LL PEE IN YOUR SLEEP
almost 12 years
to luis
what about the pilot samer hanna that was kild by our partners in lebanon HA wasent he in the army when he was kild or he does not count becouse it was as u call it a friendly fire becouse it is your budy's that did it.
i just would like to know what u think of that if we going to protect the army then it should be all the army why no one protested when sami hanna was kiled at least here no army men were hurt it was the shik but samer hanna was lebanese airforce pilot tat was killed and no one did any protest on his behalf.
almost 12 years
Shame on you...you and all the thugs you support have no honor and no shame. Why dont you go and tell that to Major Samer's mother and lets see how much friendly fire she will shove up your rear...
Why doesn't the army do its job arresting Hezz with drug labs, and Syrian army border violations?